Shahalian, chieftain of the snake beastmen, sat at the head of the round table—a place that should not have existed—and listened to the reports of the other chieftains.
“And so…”
The owl beastman chieftain had discerned that, despite the recent massive emergence of magical beasts, the Empire’s northern defensive line had not been pushed back.
“With the security of the Empire’s north strengthened, the desertion rate of lower beastmen is rising.”
Since passage through the endless desert was restricted, more beastmen were slipping away through the north.
“…”
Shahalian remained silent. Though physically the distance from this Great Plain to the Empire’s north was vast, this desertion was a fatal problem for the snake beastmen as well. The most powerful weapon holding the beastman coalition together was fear of the human Empire.
But if news spread that the Empire’s north was safe and beastmen ceased to regard humans as enemies, the current coalition would surely fracture. Had those magical beasts only crossed the Iron Mountains and advanced south toward us… If that had happened, perhaps the beastmen could have also forged a unified political body like the humans.
A common enemy binds a group together. If only a war broke out… When Shahalian instinctively flickered her tongue, the other chieftains started in alarm.